


Unsteady

by Panda365



Series: Tumblr Requests [4]
Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Hurt, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 01:27:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29601732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Panda365/pseuds/Panda365
Summary: Natasha asks Bruce to get a little rougher with her. Her requests are fine until she finally pushes him to a breaking point ...*Tumblr Request*
Relationships: Bruce Banner/Natasha Romanov
Series: Tumblr Requests [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2181882
Kudos: 21





	Unsteady

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for the request! I had to up the rating a bit just because of the elements we are dealing with. I hope you enjoy my interpretation! :)

The calm in the living room leaves Natasha Romanoff wanting something a bit more wild for entertainment.

While her boyfriend, Bruce Banner, is one to always choose the calmer of two options, the current selection of documentary dealing with the human mind has Natasha squirming from boredom. Her eyes haven't necessarily been on the television since the start of their two hour film- yes, she has checked the run time- and she's itching to make him squirm just the same... Hopefully not from boredom.

The living room is dark and quiet except for the light and noise from their television. It's the perfect scene for Natasha to make her move, swinging her head over his shoulder and dropping her arm down his. She cuddles close with her feet on the sofa.

Even after dating for months, Natasha is unsure how Bruce feels about her feet on the couch cushions. He's always one to use chairs and furniture how it was intended to be used- a rule follower in every sense of the word...she tolerates it.

There's a darker side underneath his perfectly brown eyed stare. It's somewhere in between a meticulous physicist with an undiagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorder and a huge green rage monster who prefers to destroy first and ask questions later. While the master spy prefers the former, the occasional wrestle, rough-house, or loud debate has shown her a middle point. He'll get fired up and take his stance with a passion. Once he gets going there is nothing that can prove him wrong. And once they get to wrestling his competitive side will emerge. She can handle it, even enjoy a decent skirmish when he's willing to engage in one.

For the most part, his softer side is in complete control. And while she enjoys his tenderness, being pampered by a door opening or some other chivalrous acts, she needs him to match her on occasion. And tonight is such an occasion.

Natasha reaches over his body for the remote to briefly lower the volume which signifies a desire for his complete attention he eventually gives. With a breathy kiss she latches onto his cheek. He squirms a bit from her contact over his chin to hold him steady and speaks above a whisper, still invested in his documentary;

"What's up, Natasha?"

She hums, kissing down his jawline, content when his arm almost instinctively wraps around her torso. His body reacts to her kisses by leaning into her, bending his side ever so slightly with every intention of pulling his sweet red headed girlfriend in closer.

Natasha accepts the kiss he offers her, his soft lips barely brushing hers with his typical act of affection; tender and kind. She smirks, waiting apart from him to bite her lip and look him in the eye. There's a deep rooted passion underneath his eyes whenever they dilate, so suddenly and completely immersed in her every word.

Romanoff knows exactly what she wants to share with him - what she needs from him. How to get there is the tricky part. She chooses to push to the absolute limit and blurt it out with little regard rather than overanalyze her choice of words;

"You can be rougher with me, Bruce."

Banner squints, an expression he takes when he himself is over analyzing and thoughtful. His arm pulls away from her and crosses immediately, turning back to their documentary. He breathes and she waits patiently.

The kissing has stopped and he's no longer holding her so she sits back and holds her head. She only has eyes for her boyfriend, watching as he overanalyzes and processes. He acts as though she's requested an analytical theory for time travel…

"Rougher? What do you mean by rougher?"

Natasha's hand is deep in her hair, picking at her scalp, "You don't have to hold back with me. If you want to kiss me, then kiss me. If you want to pin me up against a wall and kiss me until we are both breathless, throw me over a table, then unapologetically take what you want-."

"Natasha," he laughs nervously. She can tell Bruce is blushing a little underneath the blue and white light from their screen.

She cuddles in close once more and returns her chin to his shoulder, eyes wide, "I'm asking you to. I want you to start treating me like I'm yours. I'm giving you the green light to free that passion I can feel when you kiss me, when you're with me. Why do you hold back?"

He swallows, shifting slightly over his subtle discomfort with their conversation. He consents to a smirk and looks back in her direction;

"You're playing with fire."

Natasha laughs hard enough to snort and wraps a hand underneath his arm to pull him closer, "I'm an Russian assassin and I'm dating the guy who turns into a hulk, we're beyond 'fire' and onto the demolition crew. And I want you to demolish me."

"Geez."

He jumps slightly, cupping her face to lead her mouth up to his and to kiss her until they're both breathless. He nips at her lip, biting a little harder than usual. When they part for oxygen he checks her eyes and mutters a whisper;

"Are you sure?"

She nods and bites at her now sore lip, hoping he'll nip at her again. He teases his palm against her neck now that he's turned in her direction. Natasha lifts her chin to give him access, watching with curious anticipation over what he plans on doing with his fingers. He doesn't tighten against her throat until she gives him a verbal, 'yes'. Her eyes widen with excitement as he carefully pins her, lips flushing a bright pink when his lips go to nip at the opposite side of her neck. She's not surprised when he finds his usual spot, eyes closing when he whispers against her flesh;

"If we're doing this, we're doing it right. You're going to talk to me and be honest with me. Open with me."

"Okay. Then that goes for the both of us.”

He pauses briefly, tender with the back of his fingers, "I'm serious. If you tell me to stop I will stop. That or, I guess," Her eyebrows lift in further anticipation, her chest rising and falling at a rapid pace. He smirks over her reaction, "Just tap my shoulder twice."

She takes a sharp inhale as he clenches his fingers around her neck to temporarily restrict her airways, a little firmer with his touch when he grabs at her side, at her hip.

Natasha watches his every move, content to be in his firm and yet safe hold with nothing but implicit trust for her lover. The way he manipulates her position to pin her underneath his build leaves her breathless- that and his firm choke hold. He frees her only momentarily, breathy voice underneath her earlobe;

"Tell me what you want."

Natasha moans slightly, eager to let him keep going, "I just want you. All of you."

"All of me," he's looking for clarification, gripping firmly her wrists and pinning them roughly above her head.

"Yes." She nods helplessly, eager for his darker side as he takes the reins for the first time in a while and gradually becomes a little rougher with his contact. She takes a breath and asks timidly, "Choke me again?"

"You like that?"

"I do."

He frees her hands as per their arrangement so that she can tap his shoulder if the need arises. Bruce is careful with Natasha to ensure she gets what she wants without actually risking her safety.

"What else do you like?"

He allows her to breathe only when he bites at her neck and she loves it, hoping it'll leave a mark she can show off proudly in the morning.

She's breathless now over his teasing, cheeks pink from her restricted oxygen. Her back arches involuntarily when she begs;

"Grab at me, take control of me, pin me, kiss me, bite me. Please just take what you want, Bruce. You don't have to hold back with me. I need you to be rougher."

Her green needing eyes meet his darker ones, seemingly ready to completely take control and eager to do so. He flips her over and she takes a breath, a wildly playful expression over her features when he pins her arms behind her back…

* * *

They're playful with each other and he pushes her to the edge. Pinning her up against the wall or over the tables gets the biggest reaction. She'll offer a toothy smile that makes him squirm, restraining her movement with a hand over her wrist and the other over her hips.

She feels so secure in his hold whenever he takes control and manipulates her in the way she craves.

His kisses are soft when she wants them to be, their cuddles warm and comforting. They're going steady as a couple and nothing can possibly change that. Working on getting to know one another outside of the bedroom, outside of the missions.

Natasha is learning his every quirk, what he needs after a Hulk out; which is usually a warm shower, some food and a long undisturbed nap. She's also learning he craves her comfort post Hulk out one afternoon when she walks in on him. Bruce is curled up as tightly as possible underneath a blanket. She invites herself onto the bed, eager to brush his messy curls and hold him quietly.

Romanoff presses her cheek against his back still in her bloodied black widow uniform. Their inner demons; they have that in common. He often remembers things his counterpart does in images- the same way she remembers her past.

Picking and choosing isn't an option when the nightmares and the images come flooding in. And the least she can do is hold him after the stress of a mission gone a little out of control.

A 'job well done' won't soothe her nerves but his embrace will, comforted when he turns to face her and permit Natasha to nuzzle against his warm chest.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Natasha can still smell the pine of the trees Hulk destroyed off of his skin, the smoke from the debris, the ripped up vehicles…

She mumbles, "Remind me that I'm not a monster."

He lays his face against her hair and kisses her softly, carefully removing a small piece of glass from her hair, "You're not a monster. You just saved a couple thousand people, kids. You're one of the good guys."

Natasha tries hard to let his words sink in, comforted by the way he cares for her, looks after her, soothes her. She closes her eyes when he kisses her forehead. Neither one moves for a full hour, curled up in each other's arms and fast asleep before the hour is over.

* * *

Back home they're free to laugh and bake cookies, watch television, laugh, and push each other around. It's stress relieving and freeing or Natasha not to be judged for once and to trust her boyfriend implicitly.

One week later and Bruce is kissing Natasha with nothing but passion with each capture of her lips, holding her close. She hums against his lips and begs him for more. After a quick sweep over the table he throws her over it, eager to touch and grab at her skin, to kiss her again.

The redhead protests by gripping at his wrist when he tries to brush her cheek. He freezes;

"What? Did I hurt you?"

She talks through her teeth, "I need you to be rougher. Slap me."

"Slap you?" He looks rattled. His cheeks are drained and his breath is changing.

"Hard. I want to feel it-."

"Wait-! Wait, wait-! Natasha,' he pulls away abruptly, 'Hold on. Hold on…"

She sits up, still sitting on the table, running her hands down his chest. He catches her hands and sinks slowly into the chair behind him with his head tucked low. Natasha's jaw drops cautiously, trying to understand what has just gone down between them.

Bruce looks different as he puts some distance between them, withdrawn, contemplative...sad even.

Natasha lays her hands over her knees, leaning forward to try and see his eyes.

Bruce is by far the most emotional boyfriend she has ever had. Soft, gentle, in touch with his ‘feminine’ side. She's seen him shed a few tears before, a bubbling mess as he confesses his complete admiration for her and all that she is.

This is different, this feels different. He's suddenly dark, sad and yet at the same time utterly emotionless.

Natasha parts her lips as he hugs at his elbows and looks vacantly at the ground as if it's the most interesting thing since Tony Stark's laboratory.

"What's wrong, Bruce?"

His full, glassy eyed stares reluctantly meets hers. He's breathing heavy so she checks his skin for any shade of green.

"I um," he finally speaks, once again looking off into the distance, as if he's run out of batteries.

Natasha tilts her head, asking through a whisper, "You can talk to me."

Bruce rubs at his face, taking a breath that hitches. He shakes his head;

"I'm not okay."

"I can see that…"

"No, I'm. I'm not okay with this."

"With what," she asks gently.

"Hurting you," his lip quivers.

His reaction causes her eyes to soften. She wants to protest, debate with him and fire back but he seems far too fragile at the moment.

"You've never hurt me," Natasha tries to smile and be reassuring.

His head drops, hiding his face in his open palms. The redhead takes a breath and leaps from off the table to sit on the floor beside his chair, reaching to lay a hand over his covered knee. She waits patiently and brushes her fingers tenderly against his tan pants, wishing she could read his mind now more than ever.

He's much like herself in the sense that he is generally a quiet person, preferring his space, a good book, and light hearted conversation. 

Though, the emotional weight that hovers in the air isn't anything new- the traditional vibe that is akin to a post mission cuddle/care session.

When Bruce finally drops his hands her eyes are right there waiting for him, eager for an explanation. Natasha grins patiently, hoping to ease the visible tension he's no doubt feeling, “Hi."

Bruce swallows the hard lump in his throat and rubs at his fingers, right back to looking at the ground. Her hand has yet to move from his knee.

The physicist pushes aside all emotion and rubs his hands together with a heavy exhale;

"...you're a spy, you've seen my files. I'm sure SHIELD has files on me...right?"

She acknowledges his words with a single shouldered shrug, refusing to move her eyes from off of him. Bruce clears his throat and braves the conversation he needs to have;

"I'm not okay with hurting you, with hitting you...because,' he tries hard to toughen up and takes a breath, 'Because that's how…my father would treat my mom. Growing up with that has left a few scars? So. Honestly, Natasha, I've been getting flashbacks and I'm uncomfortable with this whole thing. I don't want to hit you, I don't want to hurt you-. I want to love you.”

Natasha's jaw is dropped, sincere when she switches the hand that is on his knee and reaches for his shoulder in a borderline panic;

"Oh Bruce, no! No. No; This- isn't. Aww Bruce. I'm sorry, I never meant to trigger anything from your past. I'm sorry."

When he looks at her she can finally see the red in them; broken, crushed. She can relate. If anyone dare ever trigger her life in the red room, anything she was forced to witness growing up she might as well have had the same reaction.

At this moment all Natasha wants to do is erase the previous hour and go back to their happy place. Unfortunately it isn't so easy. She tightens her jaw, analyzing his words and rubbing her fingers over his shoulder.

He talks through his teeth, "It's not your fault."

"Oh Bruce,' she cups his face, holding him gently, 'You're not your father. You're nothing like that monster...I promise you. You are so loving and passionate. You're not aggressive. I have never, ever, felt in danger in your company." He glares, she shrugs with clarification, "Since we started dating." She breathes and tries to get him to make and keep eye contact for more than a second, "You're not a monster. You're one of the good guys."

Bruce allows the corner of his mouth to quirk upward, eager to wrap her into his arms and yet still hesitant to do so;

"Am I too boring for you?"

Natasha scoffs gently, brushing her thumbs over his cheeks. Suddenly his tendency to be so gentle makes sense, "No, I love you for you are. I'm with you, for you. I promise."

"You won't leave me?"

She laughs through his sweet question, feeling him grab her wrist ever so carefully, "No. I'm safe with you. I trust you; That's the whole reason I open up this can of worms in the first place. I want you to trust me in the same way I trust you. And ultimately Bruce I, just,' her eyes close, 'I just want you. All of you. Your brokenness, your chivalry. Your kindness, your gentle touch...I need you."

"Promise? Am I good enough?"

"You're enough," ...perfect even, she smiles to herself with nothing but adoration for his gentle nature.

"No spy tricks at play here?" He reaches to kiss her palm, encasing her hand and pulls her closer.

"No ‘spy tricks’," she consents to a smile and wraps her arms around his shoulders to hug him tight, comfortable in his lap while he holds her close.


End file.
